Part of me is with Scott on the EU thing of moving some animals off-planet just for the sake of a tie-in to the films. It happens way too much... My personal take on the EU issue is that it's similar to humans inhabiting various planets and things, in that the Wampas are not related, just similar genetically... It's like the Star Trek thing where very human-like beings live on other planets and evolved elsewhere. Or like Romulans and Vulcans are "cousins" in a way. Wampas are kind of a generic term for this type of creature. It's a BS way of making it fit... I can accept it then, but I still am with Scott that EU writers aren't clever enough to come up with new creatures it seems, and so they try to play off the familiar from the films way too much.

Out side of the Wampa, is this the same paint scheme/color as the ROTS one? Anyone know?

They appear to be similar, but I think the new one is a brighter shade of red, while the RotS version is a duller maroon color. There are also difference in the cannon/missile colors and the stickers too...

Ugh, that's an ugly price. I'll still pick up my two, I just might space out the purchases more than I intended. Mr. Pawlus, do you know if the Wampa head is a sticker or if it is painted on like the Republic Gunship artwork?

If the wampa head is a sticker then I'll definitely consider picking up at least one of these.

It's your lucky day-- it is indeed a sticker. I'm actually a little disappointed, I was hoping for a tampo. Not that it makes a big deal in terms of cost, but at least it'd match the Gunship in the sense that I didn't have to put labels on it.